Frailty (2001)

 

Bill Paxton's directorial debut is astonishing and easily one of my favorite films. Frailty delivers a thriller about a dysfunctional and loving family as they descend into the insanity of religious destiny.

A mysterious man played by Matthew Mcconaughey walks into a Texas FBI office and proclaims he knows who the "God's Hand Killer" is to a Investigator played by Powers Boothe. The FBI agent doubts the validity of these claims but as this man recounts his childhood the evidence could be true.

Bill Paxton's "Dad" is a single father raising his two son's, Adam and Fenton in small town USA in the late 1970's. Dad works a standard nine to five job as a mechanic and his two boys go to the local school. They live in a small secluded house behind the towns local rose garden, which was originally built for the old gardeners of the park. Dad wakes his family up after having a dream vision explaining that god's angels have commanded him to find and execute demons that have taken human form. Adam, the younger son has blind faith in his father, but Fenton doubts these visions and believes him to be having a mental crisis. When Dad begins killing people and proclaiming them demons, the two boys struggle with their loyalty to each other and their father. 

 

I grew up with a younger brother always at my side so this story resonated with me on a very personal level. The family relationship between the three is so relatable and dynamic, it feels real and should be acknowledged as a testament to Bill Paxton's acting and abilities behind the screen. The passing away of Bill Paxton in 2017 and not being able to see what else he could create in the genre is a terrible blow, but having Frailty as your debut directed film is stunning to me. 

Frailty is so good you might be convinced Alfred Hitchcock directed a John Steinbeck story. Frailty packs a punch, and will shock you with it's ending.

Thank you Bill Paxton for this masterpiece.